sock in

Idioms  

1. Close down an airport or other facility due to thick fog or other weather conditions impeding visibility, as in The airport was socked in all morning and air traffic was at a standstill, or We finally got to the peak and were totally socked in—there was no view at all. The sock referred to here is probably a windsock, as decisions to close an airport are made in part on the basis of observations of wind-socks, which indicate wind direction. The expression was first recorded in 1944.

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Example Sentences

Here’s the first sock in the jaw: In order to pay off your card, you’d have to take almost $67,500 from your retirement account.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 28, 2025

BBC political editor Chris Mason suggested polls showed his plans had not worked so far and asked if it was time for him to tell some of his MPs to “put a sock in it”.

From BBC • Jan. 18, 2024

Hoping to alleviate the pain, I folded a sock in half and wrapped it around my ankle beneath the monitor strap.

From Slate • Dec. 13, 2023

After the loss to the Bills, Rivera basically told everyone who had a problem with him having a 22-27-1 record after three years to stick a sock in it, in response to this simple question:

From Washington Times • Oct. 2, 2023

Mine is the opposite: balled up like a sock in the laundry.

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari